The Pittsburgh Pirates dropped to 40-46 with their loss last night to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Through 86 games last year, they also had a 40-46 record. They played game 86 last year on July 6th against the Philadelphia Phillies, who will see them this July 6th at PNC Park, with that same exact record.
Things changed after that date last year. Just 15 days later, the Pirates had a winning record. The “problem” at that point was that they were in contention once again for a wild card spot and just two games back for the division. It didn’t make sense at that point to trade off players. Then they went 1-6 right before the trade deadline and only got rid of Tony Watson. Then they inexplicably brought in Joaquin Benoit, who was awful during his brief time. It’s best to forget that second part happened, while remembering that Watson got them Oneil Cruz.
This year the Pirates aren’t in contention for the division or the wild card and they aren’t playing like a team with potential to rebound. Each division in the National League has a strong second place team and three other teams are above the .500 mark. The Pirates aren’t winning anything this year and they can’t be any worse off with the fanbase at this point.
With the players they have in the minors, it certainly seems like now would be a good time to start making trades. You could maximize your potential return by giving your trade partner a player for longer, while also giving players who could be key parts of the 2019 club, more time in the majors.
Guys like Kevin Newman and Kevin Kramer are Rule 5 eligible this winter, so they are going to be on the 40-man roster at some point this year anyway. Would it really hurt to see what they could do over the last 76 games? Or maybe not have a pitcher like Clay Holmes sit around for two weeks and barely pitch right after he went on the best streak of his minor league career?
I’m certainly not suggesting to just dump players now who are upcoming free agents to open up spots, but they should be looking into making deals now instead of waiting until 25 days from now, hoping things get better.
This certainly isn’t a new idea here, but there has to be a point when they pull the plug on this season and realize it’s better to start playing for 2019. Right now history is repeating itself and that 2017 season obviously didn’t end well. This series against the Dodgers really showed how far this team is away from a legit contender, all while possible future regulars in the majors are plugging away in Triple-A.
TODAY’S SCHEDULE
Today’s Starter and Notes: The Pittsburgh Pirates lost 6-4 to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday night. The Pirates have off today, as they travel home for a weekend series against the Philadelphia Phillies. Trevor Williams will be on the mound, coming off of four runs over 4.2 innings against the San Diego Padres in his last start. The scheduled Phillies starter is right-hander Nick Pivetta, who has a 4.66 ERA in 87 innings, with 104 strikeouts and a 1.31 WHIP. His last three appearances have all been against the Washington Nationals (two starts, one relief) and he gave up nine runs over 7.2 innings in those games.
The minor league schedule includes Steven Jennings making his fourth start for Bristol. Last year’s second round pick allowed three runs over four innings in his last start. Max Kranick gets the start for West Virginia. He has thrown 13 shutout innings over his last three starts, with one of those games shortened due to a rain delay. He struck out a career high seven batters in his last outing. Bradenton starter Oddy Nunez tossed 11 straight no-hit innings before allowing five runs in his final inning on Saturday. Eighth round pick Zach Spears makes his third start for Morgantown. Bret Helton gets his first start for Altoona and Indianapolis has no starter listed, but it should be Mitch Keller, who allowed eight earned runs in 2.2 innings during his Indianapolis debut last Saturday.
MLB: Pittsburgh (40-46) vs Phillies (47-37) 7:05 PM 7/6
Probable starter: Trevor Williams (4.22 ERA, 68:30 SO/BB, 91.2 IP)
AAA: Indianapolis (45-38) @ Louisville (33-48) 7:05 PM (season preview)
Probable starter: TBD (0.00 ERA, 0:0 SO/BB, 0.0 IP)
AA: Altoona (42-38) vs Trenton (48-36) 7:00 PM (season preview)
Probable starter: Bret Helton (3.72 ERA, 26:21 SO/BB, 36.1 IP)
High-A: Bradenton (39-39) @ St Lucie (33-46) 6:30 PM (season preview)
Probable starter: Oddy Nunez (3.65 ERA, 50:31 SO/BB, 79.0 IP)
Low-A: West Virginia (45-34) vs Lexington (42-39) 7:05 PM (season preview)
Probable starter: Max Kranick (3.51 ERA, 24:13 SO/BB, 33.1 IP)
Short-Season A: Morgantown (8-11) vs Williamsport (7-11) 7:05 PM (season preview)
Probable starter: Zach Spears (2.25 ERA, 0:2 SO/BB, 4.0 IP)
Rookie: Bristol (7-8) vs Johnson City (7-7) 7:00 PM (season preview)
Probable starter: Steven Jennings (5.27 ERA, 10:5 SO/BB, 13.2 IP)
GCL: Pirates (5-8) vs Yankees West 12:00 PM (season preview)
DSL: Pirates1 (12-16) vs Cubs1 10:30 AM (season preview)
DSL: Pirates2 (13-15) vs Giants 10:30 AM (season preview)
HIGHLIGHTS
From Altoona’s game on Tuesday night, Ke’Bryan Hayes broke up a no-hitter in the seventh with this triple. He would later add a single, collecting both of Altoona’s hits on the night.
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
7/4: Pirates recall Josh Smoker.
7/4: Scooter Hightower promoted to Altoona. Ryan Haug assigned to GCL Pirates.
7/4: Jason Delay activated from Bradenton disabled list.
7/3: Pirates released Larry Alcime.
7/3: Pirates sign Michael Burrows.
7/3: Pirates recall Dovydas Neverauskas. Tanner Anderson optioned to Indianapolis.
7/3: Montana DuRapau promoted to Indianapolis. Erich Weiss placed on disabled list.
7/3: Travis MacGregor activated from West Virginia disabled list. Gavin Wallace promoted to Bradenton.
7/2: Pirates signed a lot of international players.
7/2: Pirates signed even more international players.
7/2: Pirates sign Grant Koch and Mike Gretler.
7/2: Nick Kingham recalled. Jose Osuna optioned to Indianapolis.
7/2: Enny Romero designated for assignment.
7/2: Sean Rodriguez assigned to Indianapolis on rehab
7/1: Calvin Mitchell activated from West Virginia disabled list.
6/30: Ryan Haug assigned to Bradenton.
6/30: Pirates sign Alec Rennard.
6/29: Chad Kuhl placed on disabled list. Max Moroff recalled from Indianapolis.
6/29: Brett Pope promoted to Bradenton. Matt Eckelman promoted to Altoona.
6/29: Evan Piechota activated from Bradenton disabled list.
6/28: Mitch Keller and Jason Martin promoted to Indianapolis. Alfredo Reyes promoted to Bradenton.
6/28: Eddie Muhl retired.
6/27: Sean Rodriguez placed on disabled list. Tanner Anderson called up to Pirates.
6/27: Jung Ho Kang and Christopher Bostick placed on disabled list. Eric Wood activated from Indianapolis DL.
6/27: Raul Siri promoted to West Virginia.
6/27: Pirates sign John O’Reilly.
6/26: Pirates sign Allen Montgomery.
6/26: Jason Delay placed on disabled list.
6/26: Ryan Haug assigned to GCL Pirates. Will Reed assigned to GCL Pirates on rehab.
6/25: Jackson Williams added to Indianapolis roster. Arden Pabst assigned to Bradenton.
6/25: Eric Wood assigned to Morgantown on rehab.
6/25: Pirates release Johnny Hellweg.
THIS DATE IN PIRATES HISTORY
Four former Pittsburgh Pirates players born on this date, including a Hall of Famer who spent one season with the Pirates. Starting with the most recent first and it’s the Hall of Fame pitcher, Goose Gossage. He was acquired for Richie Zisk prior to the 1977 season and left after the season via free agency. Gossage was a reliever for Pittsburgh, but he threw 133 innings over 72 appearances and posted a 1.62 ERA, with 151 strikeouts. He won 11 games and picked up 26 saves for the Pirates.
Other players born on this date include 1909 outfielder Ward Miller, 1908 outfielder Beals Becker and 1902 pitcher Harvey Cushman. Becker won 25 games in the minors in 1906, but just two years later he was a Major League outfielder. Miller was a member of the team’s first World Series champs, but he was traded away early in the season, so he didn’t get to celebrate the win. Cushman played for the best team in franchise history, but he kept them from being better. The Pirates had a 102-36 record that season, yet Cushman made four starts for the team and lost all four, which were his only games in the majors.
On this date in 2005, Kip Well threw a shutout against the Philadelphia Phillies while striking out 12 batters. It was the second and last shutout of his career. The win gave him a 6-8 record on the season, but he would end up going 2-10 the rest of the way. Boxscore can be found here.
